Five Colleges in Claremont, CA

What a bargain! Seven colleges for the price of one! Welcome to the Claremont Consortium located in the beautiful town of Claremont just 56 km south of Los Angeles. At the undergraduate colleges, Pitzer, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd and Scripps, each has a different focus but students are welcome to take courses on any of the campuses. Students can eat in any dining hall and live in almost any of the residences (all of the residences have swimming pool complexes attached). It is no wonder that these colleges compete very well in water polo!

Pitzer is the youngest of the five, founded in 1963. The campus has a desert feel in its vegetation and architecture. It is free-spirited in that students are permitted to paint walls with slogans and other art work. Their focus is on social justice, social science, inter cultural relations, environmental sustainability, and making a difference. Student autonomy is paramount and classes are taught seminar style. Pitzer is a test optional school. They have just built beautiful new residences around a pool complex that was reminiscent of a country club. Bring your pool noodle!!

Pomona is the founding school, started 125 years ago. While Pitzer’s campus is a mini-desert, Pamona is the oasis with green lawns and majestic palm trees. The academic emphasis here is on liberal arts

Harvey Mudd is well known for its Engineering school and STEM disciplines. Their unique approach to engineering, combines the humanities with technological training. Where many engineering schools work students lock step through courses primarily in science and math, at Harvey Mudd you will find engineers taking a liberal arts approach to their studies. Problem solving and analysis are key to their studies.

Claremont McKenna takes a practical look at liberal arts. Their focus is leadership and they nurture it in their students. It is here that you will find the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance that specializes in business and public policy. They overlap with Georgetown University in Washington, DC. While we were there, they were breaking ground for new athletic facilities.

Scripps was founded by a 90-year-old suffragette in the 1920s and remains an all-women’s college. It is almost entirely surrounded by orange and olive trees. Even though it is a women’s college, male students take classes there and the women will take classes at the other colleges should they choose to do so. Primarily a liberal arts college, their core curriculum is based on interdisciplinary humanities with a very interesting look at “Histories of the Present.”

Athletics: The Claremont colleges compete in Division III athletics; one team is shared by Pomona and Pitzer, while the other is shared by the other three. They compete in 20 different sports and do very well in their league.

Scholarships: Applications are read need aware at Pomona, Claremont and Harvey Mudd but international students are considered for financial aid. Merit based aid is available at Scripps, Pitzer, Claremont and Harvey Mudd.